Embassy of India Newsletter - January 2020

Published by the Embassy of India, Vienna Year 10. Issue 88. January 2020

Find Inside:

Bollywood Movie Evening INDIA NEWSLETTER.1

Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to catalyse startup culture and build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India. Find out more under:

www.startupindia.gov.in

Infrastructure Development

Accelarate Manufacturing Growth

Focus on Skill Development

Sustainable Energy Sufficiency

Improved Business Environment

The Government of India has prepared a five-pillar strategy to drive India’s growth, which offers multiple avenues of collaboration and investments. Find out more under:

www.makeinindia.com

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NEWS FLASH

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Retail sales of passenger vehicles in November 2019 witnessed an increase by 1 per cent to 2,57,271 units against the same period last year: Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA).

participate as ‘Guest of Honour' in the International Book Fair Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadaljara in Mexico.

organic products exported from India is Rs 5,150.99 crore (US$ 737 million) for 614,089.61 MT during 2018-19.

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Micro,

Small

and

Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute 29.7 per cent of GDP and 49.66 per The Government of cent of Indian exports.

India has undertaken 70 rail and road projects worth Rs The cumulative installed 48,782 crore (US$ 6.9 billion) for enhancing port capacity of wind power (as on connectivity at various 31.10.2019) in the country major and minor ports. stands at 37,090.03 MW and

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15,100 MW of wind power A total of 47.86 GW projects have been issued. of renewable energy capacity has been installed Memorandum of in the country during the last six years i.e. from Understanding (MoU) was March 2014 to October signed between Ministry of Railways, and Department for 2019.

International Development Under Prime (DFID), United Kingdom on December 2nd, 2019 for Minister’s Employment collaboration on energy and Generation Programme (PMEGP) scheme, a total sustainability.

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of about 5.70 lakh micro enterprises have been assisted since its inception in 2008-09 providing employment to an estimated 47 lakh persons, till 2019-20 (up to 31.10.2019).

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India has become the first Asian country to

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Ministry of Tourism has

sanctioned 18 projects covering all the North Eastern States for Rs 1,456 crore (US $ 208.3 million) for development and promotion of tourism.

10 The total value of

1303 cold storages with a total capacity of 45,62,860 Metric Tonnes (MT) have been established in the country under Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) from 2015-16 to 2019-20 (as on 31.10.2019).

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The sales of fastmoving consumer goods (FMCG) on the e-commerce sites are expected to reach US$ 4 billion by 2022, according to Nielsen.

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As of December 3, 2019, foreign exchange reserves continued the upward journey growing to a new high of US$ 451.7 billion.

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More than 180 contracts valued over Rs 1,96,000 crore (US$ 28.04 billion) has been signed by the Ministry of Defence with Indian industry since 2014 while few are in the pipeline to be signed in foreseeable future.

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ANNOUNCEMENT FOR AUSTRIAN CITIZENS e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) for Austrian citizens The Government of India has extended e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) scheme to the citizens of Austria w.e.f. 26th February 2016. Under e-Tourist Visa scheme, citizens of Austria may now apply online (https:// indianvisaonline. gov.in/visa/ tvoa.html) to obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization for travelling to India. This facility is also available to the citizens of Montenegro.

Queries related to e-TV; for any assistance call 24x7 Visa support center at +91-11-24300666 or send email to indiatvoa@gov.in.

Instructions for e-Visa

1. e-Visa has 5sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist visa, e-Business visa, e-Medical visa, e-Medical Attendant visa and e-Conference visa.

2. Applicants of the eligible countries/territories may apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 120 days.

3. e-Visa fee is country/Territory specific.

4. Applicant should carry a copy of Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) along with him/her at the time of travel.

5. Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at Immigration on arrival in India.

6. The validity of e-Visa (except e-Conference visa) will be 60 days from the date of arrival in India.

7. This facility is in addition to the existing Visa services.

8. e-Visa can be availed for maximum of three times in a calendar year i.e. between January to December.

9. e-Visa is non-extendable, non-convertible & not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas.

NEWS ARTICLES Metro AG India sales rise 10% to Rs 6,755 crore: ET Bureau -----------------------------

Metro AG, the world’s fourthlargest retailer, posted 10% growth in net sales at Rs 6,755 crore in India in the year ended September, helped by aggressive push for own labels and increased kirana memberships in a market where neighbourhood stores account for nine of ten consumer items sold.

A year ago, it had sales of Rs 6,140 crore, as per its annual report.

Düsseldorf-based Metro doesn’t sell products directly to consumers in India and is an organised wholesaler or cash

and carry operator that sells close to 7,000 products across a range of categories to local stores, hotels and catering companies.

“We have focused on building a profitable and sustainable business in India through a culture of customer centricity.

Currently, 78% of our customers are repeat buyers who contributed to 86% of our sales in FY 18/19,” said Arvind Mediratta, managing director at Metro Cash & Carry India.

Metro, which entered India in 2003, is the market leader in the organised trade with 27 stores and counts Walmart as its closest rival that too operates as a wholesaler, but also acquired Flipkart for $16

billion two years ago. Walmart saw its revenue increase 11% to Rs 4,065 crore for the fiscal ended March 31, while net losses almost doubled to Rs 172 crore.

Inox Wind signs pact with Continuum Power Trading for 250 mw power projects: IBEF ----------------------------

Inox Wind entered into an agreement with Continuum Power Trading (TN) Pvt Ltd to supply, erect and commission 250 mw wind power projects in Gujarat.

"Inox Wind... has signed a term sheet with Continuum Power INDIA NEWSLETTER.4

Trading (TN) Pvt Ltd, part of Continuum Wind Energy group, to supply, erect and commission 250 MW of wind power projects (in two phases of 126 MW and 124 MW) comprising of a mix of 2 MW (113 metre rotor diameter turbine combined with 92 metre hub height) and 3 MW (145 metre rotor diameter turbine combined with 120metre hub height) turbines," the company said in a filing to BSE.

Management Consultants, Hyderabad. These investments in innovation-driven growth ventures that has the potential to transform farm produce and market-ready food products.

industries accounted for 40% of the private equity investment pie in 2019 attracting $14.7 billion across 74 deals compared to a 20% share in 2018 ($7.8 billion across 83 deals).

With 861 deals worth $36.96 billion, 2019 beat the previous record of 2018, which had witnessed 937 deals valued at $36.14 billion, the report showed. The figure excluded private equity deals in the real estate sector.

Energy industry deals, led by Brookfield’s $1.9 billion investment in Reliance Pipeline Infra, accounted for 26 investments worth $4.9 billion in 2019, compared to $3.2 billion (across 31 deals) in 2018.

The first phase of 126 mw of the project is planned to be commissioned by the third quarter of FY21 at Dayapar in Bhuj district, Gujarat. Project will be implemented on a turnkey project basis.

Investment activity in 2018 was largely dominated by mega deals in the technology sector, specifically e-commerce, with the highlight of the year being the $16 billion acquisition of Flipkart by Walmart Inc.

According to the agreement between the two, Inox Wind will offer end-to-end solutions to Continuum Power. These will include the solutions from development and construction to commissioning and providing long-term operations and maintenance services.

PE/VC investments climb to a record $37 billion this year: Livemint ------------------------------Private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investments in India touched a record high of $37 billion on the back of large investments in the infrastructure sector, according to a report by private company data tracker Venture Intelligence.

“The fact that the PE investment tally of 2019 outdid the previous high of 2018, despite uncertainties on the economic, political and global trade fronts , is very encouraging," said Arun Natarajan, the founder of Venture Intelligence.

“The sheer diversity of investors that are now actively investing in India—by geography (including North America, Asia and Middle East) as well as sector preferences—provides scope for optimism that the momentum will be maintained in the new year."

The year saw the creation of nine unicorn companies, Delhivery, Dream11, BigBasket, Rivigo, Druva Software, Icertis, Citius Tech, Ola Electric and Lenskart, according to Venture Intelligence.

Renault India begins first shipment of Triber to South Africa: PTI ------------------------------French auto-major Renault India on Tuesday commenced the first shipment of the latest car Triber from the Ennore Port here to South Africa.

"It is great day for us. We are exporting about 600 cars today.

We were at the port in this morning. This is first lot of Triber going out of India," Renault India (operations) country CEO Venkatram Mamillapalle told The year 2019 witnessed 74 reporters. private equity investments worth $100 million or more, He said the Triber had crossed accounting for 74% of the total sales of 20,000 units in the investment value during the domestic market registering a period. Of these, 40 were larger cumulative growth of 70 per cent than $200 million each, with for the company in the last two five investments of more than months. $1 billion, the data showed.

Renault Triber comes with the Infrastructure-related INDIA NEWSLETTER.5

new ENERGY petrol engine of 1.0 litre offering balance performance and fuel economy at low maintenance costs.

Besides Triber, Renault India currently retails its popular hatchback KWID, sports utility vehicle Duster, premium SUV Captur. The company has widespread presence of more than 350 sales and 264 service facilities across the country.

Hyatt plans to open 11 new hotels accross by end of 2020: News 18 -----------------------------Global hospitality firm Hyatt Hotels Corporation is looking to open 11 new hotels across India by the end of 2020 as part of its expansion plans in the country, a senior company official has said.

The Chicago-headquartered firm currently has 32 hotels across 20 destinations under its eight brands in India. The eight brands under the Hyatt portfolio in India are — Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Alila and Andaz.

"We plan to open 11 new hotels across the country by end of 2020 as India is a very important growth market for us," Hyatt, Vice PresidentIndia operations, Sunjae Sharma told PTI. Hyatt is one of the first international hotel management brands in India, having entered the market over 35 years ago with the first hotel under the Hyatt Regency brand in Delhi in 1982, he added.

"The new hotels will be under our three brands — Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency," Sharma said.

While the hotel at Gurugram will be under the Grand Hyatt brand, the hotels at Vadodara, Jaipur and Bengaluru will be under the Hyatt Place brand, he added.

"The hotels at Thrissur, Kochi, Jaipur, Dehradun, Trivandrum and Udaipur will be under the Hyatt Regency brand," Sharma informed.

It cited that the growth drivers for the Indian pharma companies are mostly because of the abating headwinds from pricing pressure in the US (which is considered to be the largest regulated market), stable growth for the Indian market driven by increasing healthcare spending and better accessibility along with comfortable balance sheet When asked if the company is structure. also looking at acquisitions for future growth, he said the Although, ICRA said that the cost related to company is open to it, if there is a increased merit in it. regulatory compliances, mainly for the US market, price controls On the business model, it follows across markets and compulsory in India and about plans in future, genericisation for Indian market Sharma said: "We are mainly into stayed to be the major risks. management contract model, but we are also looking at franchise "The domestic pharmaceutical model with select partners in industry has gained adequate and generic drug India. We follow the asset light scale development capabilities over a model". decade of growth which will keep The company is also looking at them in good stead to capture expanding in tier II and tier III bigger opportunities, especially cities with suitable brands, he in the speciality/niche segments in the regulated market," Icra added. said in a statement. The Founded by Jay Pritzker in 1957, FY2019-2022 compound annual Hyatt is currently present globally growth rate (CAGR) is expected across 60 countries, with 18 to be around 10-12 per cent for domestic pharmaceutical brands and 875 hotels. companies, it added.

ICRA said that in FY2019, there was rise in the growth from the US to 12.1 per cent after witnessing a decline of 13.1 per cent in FY2018. "The growth was supported by higher market share for Indian players as several generic MNC players optimised product portfolios ICRA Limited, the rating agency along with new product said that the Indian launches," it added. pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow around 10-12 In FY2020, the pricing pressure per cent between FY19 and which is led by the consolidated FY22 while maintaining a stable supply chain in US market along outlook on the sector. with decrease in the faster

Pharma sector expected to grow at 10-12 per cent during FY19-22, outlook stable: ICRA, IBEF ------------------------------

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approvals of the abbreviated new drug application which is expected to remain in midsingle digit compared to low teens in FY2018.

Although, warning was given

by ICRA about the growth in US market as it is projected to remain at high single digit to low double digit and will witness some troubles as there are relatively moderate proportion of large size drugs that are going off patent, adoption of generic medicine is reaching saturation levels in the US market and high regulatory scrutiny as reflected in increased issuance of warning letters/import alerts.

The company further said that the major concerns are the productivity of research and development expenditure, operational risk related to increased level of due diligence by regulatory agencies and price controls.

India co-living market size to grow more than double by 2025: report, ET Bureau ----------------------------Co-living market size across India’s top 30 cities is expected to grow more than double by 2025 to $13.92 billion from current $ 6.67 billion. The demand for co-living in terms of beds is slated to grow to 5.7 million from 4.19 million, while the share of private beds is likely to rise from 15% to 30% of total demand in the co-living segment, showed a Cushman & Wakefield India report.

The co-living market in India is evolving at a rapid pace, with

investments from national and international institutional investors bringing in muchneeded seed capital as well as future rounds of funding thereby allowing a new business model to thrive and aim towards achieving scale. “Co-living is an evolving sector and is expected to grow more than 2X by 2025 in the top 30 cities which are the major economic centres in the country.

Furthermore, as the business evolves, co-living shall transform the face of the rental housing market in urban centres, similar to what we are witnessing with flex-working in the office rental space,� said Anshul Jain, Country Head & Managing Director-India, Cushman and Wakefield.

The operators of such facilities are tying up with developers for built-to-suit property options - an upcoming trend likely to prevail in the sector. Operators opting for ready to move in properties, which are refurbished and renovated as per their requirements, are showing preference for properties having at least 50-60 rooms.

Europe's largest intercity bus network plans to enter Indian market: IBEF -----------------------------FlixBus, network backed Atlantic looking market.

largest intercity bus in Europe, which is by investors General and Silver Lake, is to enter into Indian

The company works on the same model as already existing cab service aggregators such as

Uber or Ola. Though, the company does not own any bus or hire drivers, but it provides operational support, such as scheduling, and ticketing, among other things. It partners with the regional bus operators and provide rides across Europe and in the US. The idea on which it works is the principle of dynamic pricing, through an online platform and a FlixBus app.

"We recently started our recruitment for the Indian market and the project is still in an early business development stage," said a spokesperson of FlixBus Global.

The company is among the most successful German start-ups and was launched by Mr Daniel Krauss, Mr Andre Schwammlein and Mr Jochen Engert back in 2013, after deregulation of the bus market in that country.

FlixMobility is the parent company of FlixBus, which has also launched train services. The firm works with around 300 independent bus and train entities.

FlixBus began expanding internationally in 2015, with longdistance networks in France, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands and Croatia, as well as cross-border services to Norway, Spain and Britain. It connects a little more than 2,000 destinations in 30 countries, according to the company.

In India, it is expected that the entry of FlixBus could lead to a big shift in intercity transport.

Although, there are operators that are offering online platforms for ticketing and customer support, but there is no Uber-like standardisation of services on a large scale.

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FORUM FOR INDIAN SCIENCE DIPLOMACY NEC, CSIR sign MoU to Use AI, ML based Solutions for Society -------------------------------Artificial Intelligence and super commuting are transforming the society, at a fast pace. There is a need for capacity building and institutional interventions to cater to emerging challenges. In this context, NEC Technologies India (NECTI), a subsidiary of Japanese firm -NEC Corporation and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) have signed a MoU to collaborate and jointly harness the capabilities in AI and Machine Learning to address critical problems in diverse sectors such as water, agriculture and energy. To joint centre will be set up and that will promote, inter alia, local talent development, particularly in machine learning and big data analytics.

India’s first underwater drone, EyeROV Tuna --------------------------------Two post graduates trained in IIT have developed India’s first commercial robotic drone, named as EyeROV TUNA. As the drone can navigate up to a depth of 50 meters for taking real time video of ships and other under water structures for their repair and maintenance without the need for manual inspection by divers, which can be costly and riskier. The lover weighs light, less than 10 kgs, moves at a speed of two knots, and can be accessed and controlled when connected with

a tether and linked with computer and joystick. The came fitted with the Remotely Operated Vehicle can give live video feed for studying the harsh and critical underwater environment.

The given technology can be leveraged to assess under water environment and will be a boon for countries engaged in marine related activities.

India ranking climbs to 9th in this year's Climate Change Performance -------------------------------According to Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) released at the COP25 climate summit held at Madrid, India ranked 9th and is in the ‘high category’ countries. While the current per capita emission levels and energy use are low in India, India has ambitious 2030 targets and this resulted in India getting high performance rates under GHG emissions and energy use categories. The authors of the report state that only two countries among the G20, India (9th) and UK( 7th) figure in the ‘high category’, while eight among the G20 countries are in the ‘very low’ category, including Australia, Saudi Arabia and USA. Since no country is already on the path to cut emissions that are compatible with the targets of the Paris Agreement, first three ranks in ‘high category’ are left unfilled. While China is ranked 30th, Sweden and Denmark occupy fourth and fifth rank, respectively.

India Brazil CrossBorder Incubator programme for Agritech Startups ------------------------------To explore opportunities for cooperation and partnerships and to identify and exploit complementarities between the Brazilian and Indian agriculture sector, Pusa Krishi Incubator of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has launched ‘Maitri - Indo-Brazil Agri-Tech Cross Border Incubation Programme’. The selected startups will be a part of a six-month programme in India and Brazil. The program will help agritech startups in accessing global markets and participate in workshops, networking events and mentorship opportunities, besides pitching ideas to investors and other stakeholders in both countries.

PSLV rocket successfully completes 50 launches -------------------------------Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) created a new record when it placed RISAT-2BRI, an earth observation satellite, and, nine other satellites from foreign countries into a 576 Km orbit on 11th December.

Besides launching Chandryan I in 2008 to Moon, and, Mars Orbiter 2013 to Mars, the PSLV had launched 50 Indian satellites and 222 foreign satellites, from 20 countries, between 1994 and 2019.

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MAKE IN INDIA PHARMACEUTICAL India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally. Indian pharmaceutical sector industry supplies over 50 per cent of global demand for various vaccines, 40 per cent of generic demand in the US and 25 per cent of all medicine in UK. India enjoys an important position in the global pharmaceuticals sector. The country also has a large pool of scientists and engineers who have the potential to steer the industry ahead to an even higher level. Presently over 80 per cent of the antiretroviral drugs used globally to combat AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are supplied by Indian pharmaceutical firms.

India contributes the second largest share of pharmaceutical and biotech workforce in the world.

The pharmaceutical sector in India was valued at US $ 33 billion in 2017. India’s domestic pharmaceutical market turnover reached Rs 1,29,015 crore (US$ 18.12 billion) in 2018, growing 9.4 per cent year-on-year (in Rs) from Rs 1,16,389 crore (US$ 17.87 billion) in 2017. The Indian pharmaceuticals market stood at Rs 12,492 crore (US$ 1.79 billion) for the month of September 2019 and recorded sales of Rs 36,725.2 crore (US$ 5.25 billion) in the three months ended September 2019. Indian pharma companies received a total of 415 product approvals in 2018 and 73 tentative approvals. Affordable medicines under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi

Pariyojana (PMBJP) have led to savings of Rs 1,000 crore (US$ 143.08 million) for Indian citizens in FY19.

With 71 per cent market share, generic drugs form the largest segment of the Indian pharmaceutical sector. Based on moving annual turnover, Anti-Infectives (13.6 per cent), Cardiac (12.4 per cent), Gastro Intestinals (11.5 per cent) had the biggest market share in the Indian pharma market in 2018.

Indian drugs are exported to more than 200 countries in the world, with the US as the key market. Generic drugs account for 20 per cent of global exports in terms of volume, making the country the largest provider of generic medicines globally and expected to expand even further in coming years.

Pharmaceutical exports from India, which include bulk drugs, intermediates, drug formulations, biologicals, Ayush & herbal products and surgicals reached US$ 19.14 billion in FY19 and US$ 5.17 billion in

FY20 (up to August 2019). The exports are expected to reach US$ 20 billion by 2020. In FY18, 31 per cent of these exports from India went to the US. Healthcare sector witnessed private equity investment of US $ 1.1 billion with 27 deals in first half of 2019.

Medical devices industry in India has been growing 15.2 per cent annually and was valued at US$ 5.2 billion in 2018 and expected to grow US$55 billion by 2020.

The ‘Pharma Vision 2020’ by the government’s Department of Pharmaceuticals aims to make India a major hub for end-to-end drug discovery. The sector has received cumulative FDI worth US$ 16.25 billion between April 2000 and June 2019. Under Budget 2019-20, total allocation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is Rs 62,599 crore (US$ 8.96 billion). Rs 6,400 crore (US$ 915 million) has been allocated to health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan INDIA NEWSLETTER.9

Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

As per Union Budget 2019-20, Rs 1,900 crore (US$ 0.27 billion) have been set aside for research of the total amount and Rs 62,659 crore (US$ 8.96 billion) allocated for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

As per Economic Survey 2018-19, government expenditure (as a percentage of GDP) increased to 1.5 per cent in 2018-19 from 1.2 per cent in 2014-15 for health.

Indian pharmaceutical sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.4 per cent and medical devices market is expected to grow to US$ 55 billion by 2020.

FDI increased to 74 per cent in existing pharmaceutical companies and 100 per cent for new projects.

Investments and Recent Developments:

pharma sector witnessed 39 PE investment deals worth US $ 217 million.

- Investment (as % of sales) in research & development by Indian pharma companies* increased from 5.3 per cent in FY12 to 8.5 per cent in FY18.

- The exports of Indian pharmaceutical industry to the US will get a boost, as branded drugs worth US$ 55 billion will become off-patent during 2017-2019.

Government Initiatives: Some of the initiatives taken by the government to promote the pharmaceutical sector in India are as follows: - The Government of India unveiled 'Pharma Vision 2020' aimed at making India a global leader in end-to-end drug manufacture. Approval time

for new facilities has been reduced to boost investments.

- The government introduced mechanisms such as the Drug Price Control Order and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to deal with the issue of affordability and availability of medicines.

- The National Health Protection Scheme is largest government funded healthcare programme in the world, which is expected to benefit 100 million poor families in the country by providing a cover of up to Rs 5 lakh (US$ 7,723.2) per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. The programme was announced in Union Budget 2018-19.

- In March 2018, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) announced its plans to start a single-window facility to provide consents, approvals and other information.

The Union Cabinet has given its nod for the amendment of the existing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in the pharmaceutical sector in order to allow FDI up to 100 per cent under the automatic route for manufacturing of medical devices subject to certain conditions.

The drugs and pharmaceuticals sector attracted cumulative FDI inflows worth US$ 15.98 billion between April 2000 and March 2019, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

Some of the recent developments/investments in the Indian pharmaceutical sector are as follows: - Between Jul-Sep 2018, Indian INDIA NEWSLETTER.10

PHARMACEUTICAL - Latest News and Developments Eris Lifesciences buys anti-diabetes novel drug Zomelis in India for $13 million: Livemint ------------------------------Eris Lifesciences announced the acquisition of the trademark for anti-diabetes novel drug Zomelis for $13 million, as per the company's press release. The acquisition of the trademark from Novartis AG is only for the Indian market.

The Indian drugmaker will start selling the product from December 10 in the Indian market, the company said.

Zomelis, the common name for which is vildagliptin, is used to treat type 2 diabetes, and is the first innovator pharmaceutical product trademark acquisition by Eris Lifesciences.

“The acquisition of Zomelis will help us strengthen our position in the diabetes care market in India. Our inorganic growth strategy continues as we explore good opportunities to strengthen our product offering for patients," Eris Lifesciences chairman and managing director Amit Bakshi was quoted as saying in the release.

The company has done four acquisitions earlier, with the buyout of Strides Shasun’s branded business portfolio for ₹500 crore in December 2017 being a prominent one. It helped the company gain a foothold in the central nervous

system

drug

segment.

Founded in 2007, Eris Lifesciences is among the top 10 players in the anti-diabetes drugs segment in the Indian Pharmaceutical Market, the company said quoting data by market research firm AIOCDAWACS for October.

MoU Signed between AIIA and Frankfurter Innovationszentrum Biotechnologie GmbH, Germany: IBEF --------------------------------

An MOU has been signed between All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under Ministry of AYUSH and Frankfurter Innovationszentrum Biotechnologie GmbH (FiZ) The MoU signed by Prof.

Tanuja Nesari Director AIIA and Dr Christian Garbe, Managing Director of Frankfurter Innovationszentrum Biotechnologie GmbH (FiZ), was agreed at FiZ on the occasion of the event "German/ Indian knowledge exchange regarding current developments in the health care sector" by Dr. Garbe with Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, during September of this year.

One important goal of the collaboration is to research in the field of genomics and develop evidence-based guidelines supported with latest technologies like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning so as to integrate Ayurvedic principles and practises into modern medicine

for the wider reach to the masses. Further, exchange of knowledge and experiences will be another component in the MoU. On this occasion, Dr. Garbe said that for years there have been diverse contacts with India in order to foster both, share experience and know-how in our network and render technological knowledge economically usable as well. He explained that empirical medicine and precision medicine will become productive partners.

Director, All India Institute of Ayurveda Prof. Tanuja Nesari said that the Ayurveda is the time-tested science focussed upon providing healthy life through wholeness of body, mind, and soul considering different aspects including environmental factors.

Panacea Biotec bags orders worth US$ 24 million from UN agencies: PTI ----------------------------------

Panacea Biotec bagged orders worth USD 24.32 million (over Rs 170 crore) from UN agencies, including Unicef, for the supply of Pentavalent vaccine.

The vaccine protects children against five deadly diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus and hepatitis B. Pediatric vaccination plays an important role to achieve Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, in particular the target to reduce under-five mortality rate to less than 25 per 1,000 live births.

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INDIAN STATE ECONOMIC PROFILE JHARKHAND Jharkhand is located in the eastern part of India. The state shares its borders with West Bengal in the east, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the west, Bihar in the north and Odisha in the south. In India, Jharkhand is one of the leading states in terms of economic growth. The GSDP growth of the state stood at 10.22 per cent in 2017-18.

Jharkhand is one of the richest mineral zones in the world and boasts of 40 per cent and 29 per cent of India's mineral and coal reserves respectively. Due to its large mineral reserves, mining and mineral extraction are the major industries in the state. Mineral production^ during 2017-18 in the state stood at Rs 2,070.39 crore (US$ 286.96 million) and Rs 844.38 crore (US$ 120.82 million) between April-July 2018.

Jharkhand is rich in mineral resources such as coal (27.3 per cent of India’s reserves), iron ore (26 per cent of India’s reserves), copper ore (18.5 per cent of India’s reserves), uranium, mica,

bauxite, granite, limestone, silver, graphite, magnetite and dolomite. Jharkhand is the only state in India to produce coking coal, uranium and pyrite. With 25.7 per cent of the total iron ore (hematite) reserves, Jharkhand ranks second among the states.

The state’s industries enjoy a unique location-specific advantage as it is close to the vast market of eastern India. It is closer to the ports of Kolkata, Haldia and Paradip which helps in transportation of minerals.

The state has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows worth US$ 113 million during the period April 2000 to December 2018, according to data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Total exports from the state stood at US$ 1,116.53 million during 2017-18. During 2018-19 (Up to February 2019), exports from the state stood at US$ 1,136.84 million.

Jharkhand offers a wide range of fiscal and policy incentives to industries, under the Industrial Policy, 2012. The state also has policies for IT

and special economic zones (SEZs) offering sector-specific incentives, as well as the Jharkhand Energy Policy 2012 which aims to supply reliable and quality power in an efficient manner at a reasonable price.

About 80 per cent of the rural population of the state depends on agriculture. Rice is the major food crop of the state, covering 80 per cent of the cropped area.

Key Sectors: The state is the largest producer of tasar silk (a non-mulberry silk) in the country, with 76.4 per cent share in the total output. In 2017-18 (P), raw silk production in the state stood at 2,220.0 million tonnes and 949.3 million for FY18-19 till Dec 2018.

As Jharkhand has around 40 per cent of the country’s mineral wealth, its extensive mineral resources make mining, metals and related sectors especially lucrative for investments.

In 2017-18, total production of horticulture crops in Jharkhand stood at 4.46 million tonnes, while the total area under cultivation was 398.40 thousand hectares.

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INDIAN TRADE FAIRS INTERESTED IN VISITING A TRADE SHOW IN INDIA? In case your company is interested in visiting a tradeshow/B2B event in India, be it one listed here or another one that came to your attention, get in contact with us via comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in to get more information about possible assistance/subsidies.

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TOURISM

ODISHA Department / Directorate which is composite in character. The Department has 33 Field Offices, 6 Tourism information Counters. The Offices functioning outside the State works primarily as a bulwark for tourism promotion and marketing, the offices inside the state cater information, facilitate tourist visit and oversee overall tourism infrastructure, promotion and publicity.

Dhauligiri Hills, Odisha

The State of Odisha situated in the eastern seaboard of Indian subcontinent is endowed with amazing array of incredible tourism products. Traditionally, famous as a hub of cultural destination, but of late has emerged as one of the beautiful state in the country with rapid progress in all front including travel & tourism sector.

Odisha offer something that is very unique and a tourist visiting to the state get everything on a platter what they wants from Odisha. It has a chequered history of temple constructions with stunning temples and monuments, long coastlines of 480 kms, 35% of thick & dense forest cover, Buddhist heritage, 62 ethnic tribes, scintillating classical dance of Odissi, largest brackish water lake of Asia-Chilika, the crisscrossed mangroves forest of Bhitarkanika, so many and so forth.

The Department of Tourism is the apex body for formulation of plans, programmes, policies and coordinates with various line Departments, both Central & State Governments and private sectors for promotion and development of tourism in the State.

The Department is headed by the Minister of State, Tourism & Culture (Ind. Charge) and the administrative head of the Department is Secretary Tourism. The Director & Addl.

Secretary is the head of the Tourism

The main objective of Tourism Department is to increase the tourist traffic to the state, extend their duration of stay, promote & position Odisha as one of the preferred tourist destinations both in domestic and international markets. To achieve the above objectives, the DoT has adopted a multi-prong strategy - creating tourism infrastructure and destinations within the state, participate in national and international travel fairs and exhibitions, organise unique cultural programmes within the state to attract more and more tourists to the state.

Places to visit in Odisha: Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, is one of the most ancient cities in India. With several popular temples dominating its skyline, Bhubaneswar is widely considered to be the seat of Tribhubaneswar or Lord Lingaraj, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, and is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre.

Apart from this, the city is dotted with verdant parks, gardens and water bodies that make for tranquil getaways. It is noted for indigenous crafts like silver filigree, pattachitra paintings, appliquÊ work and metal work. The city’s culinary delights span from seafood to the most delectable vegetarian fare.

Shopping opportunities are aplenty with myriad bazaars and malls speckled across the cityscape.

Since it is located on the Mahanadi delta, Bhubaneswar is surrounded by a diverse terrain comprising river basins, forests and wetlands, giving travellers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the varied flora and fauna that call the region home.

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Koraput Covered with thick forests and dotted by pristine waterfalls and deep valleys, Koraput, in Odisha, is a natural retreat with a languid pace of life.

Home to various tribes of the state of Odisha, Koraput showcases the colours of tribal life and a rich folk culture. The region's bustling and lively tribal market is at the heart of Koraput, where one can soak in the vibrant culture of tribes. The popular Jagannath Temple here draws devotees from far and wide. From exploring the natural beauty of Koraput and experiencing energetic festivities to paying obeisance at various temples, this off-beat destination, lying along the Eastern Ghat mountains, offers a lot of variety to travellers.

In ancient times, Koraput was under the rule of tribals, following which it was taken over by the Solar dynasty, whose king Vikram Dev is said to have shifted his capital to Jeypore, about 23 km from Koraput.

Puri Spirituality and divinity echo through every bylane of the temple city of Puri. A very popular destination of pilgrimage for Hindus, the city is

sprawled along the long and pristine coastline of the Bay of Bengal, in the state of Odisha.

Buzzing with devotees, who come here to pay obeisance at the Lord Jagannath Temple, Puri is also known worldwide for the larger-than-life celebrations associated with its presiding deity.

While one part of the city gets busy celebrating the annual festival of Ratha Yatra (chariot procession of Lord Jagannath), that sees lakhs of footfalls, the other part on the outskirts, fringed by beaches and lakes, remains blanketed in relative calm and serenity, making it a hub for nature lovers.

Dhauligiri Hills Located about 8 km from Bhubaneswar, Dhauli Giri Hills is best known as the site of the Peace Pagoda or Dhauli Shanti Stupa. The domeshaped Shanti Stupa has stone panels displaying Lord Buddha's footprints and the Bodhi tree. The dome has five umbrellas, symbolising the five essential parts of Buddhism. After dark, there is a grand soundand-light show organised here with state-of-theart projectors beaming laser rays on the stupa, narrating its grand history in 3D. From the time of the Kalinga empire to the feuds of the Mauryan empire, and the crowning of king Ashoka, the show covers it all in around 35 minutes.

INDIA PERSPECTIVES MAGAZINE ONLINE

www.indiaperspectives.in

India Perspectives Magazine

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ndia Perspectives, the flagship magazine of the Ministry of External Affairs. The magazine is printed in 16 languages and goes to 170 countries, disseminating interesting information about India’s rich culture and tradition.

For a copy of the magazine, mail us at: poip@mea.gov.in

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INDIA IN AUSTRIA

AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT FORUM ASIA THINKING STRATEGICALLY Monday, 20th of January 2020 Embassy of India's Commercial Wing will be participating with a information counter in the Aussenwirtschaft Forum Asia- Thinking Strategically at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber - WKO, Wiedner HauptstraÃ&#x;e 63, Vienna.

For more information please write us at comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in.

'INDIA PAVILION' at CASA Textile Trade Fair 22-25 January 2020, Salzburg, Austria. for more information please visit: www.casa-messe.at or write us at comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in

'INDIA PAVILION' at BAUEN & ENERGIE Construction and Energy Trade Fair 20-23 February 2020, Vienna, Austria. for more information please visit: www.bauen-energie.at or write us at comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in

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GUIDE FOR TRAVELLERS - BAGGAGE RULES

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INDIA-AUSTRIA BY AIR

TOURIST HELPLINE

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INDIAN MOVIE EVENING AT THE EMBASSY 31st January 2020, 17:30

LAGAAN

(Es war einmal in Indien) Due to limited capacity, seats will be given on a first come, first served basis. Therefore, you are highly encouraged to reserve your seats. For reservation kindly write an email on info.vienna@mea.gov.in.

For Further information please visit: www.eoivienna.gov.in

Embassy of India - Cultural Centre, Kärntner Ring 2, 1. Floor, 1010 Wien.

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YOGA, BOLLYWOOD DANCE AND HINDI CLASSES AT THE EMBASSY

■ The Embassy of India invites Yoga enthusiast for free yoga classes at the Embassy. The classes are organized in various categories and are conducted by Ms. Neelam Vats, Yoga Teacher at the Culture Center, Kaerntner Ring 2, Vienna.

■ Free Hindi learning class are held every Monday, 18.30 hrs. at the Culture Center of the Embassy at Kaerntner Ring 2, Vienna.

■ Free Bollywood dance classes are held every Tuesday from 18.00-19.00 hrs. at the Culture Center of the Embassy at Kaerntner Ring 2, Vienna.

■ For further information regarding the Yoga class timings and Hindi learning classes kindly visit Embassy's website or write an e-mail to : tic.vienna@mea.gov.in

■ For more information on Bollywood classes kindly send an e- mail to ccl.vienna@mea.gov.in

INDIAN EMBASSY LIBRARY

■■ The Embassy’s library is opened daily from 10 am to 1 pm without appointment.

■■ Our collection contains more than 3000 titles in dozens of categories.

■■ For appointments outside the opening hours or other inquiries, please contact us under info.vienna@mea.gov.in or 015058666 - 44

■■ Download our latest catalog of books under indianembassy.at/pdf/EmbassyLibrary.pdf

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NOTICE BOARD EMBASSY’S LIBRARY ■■ The EMBASSY’S library is open DAILY from 10am to 1pm without appointment.

■■ For a complete list of books available in our library, visit our website www.eoivienna.gov.in .

■■ For scheduling an appointment outside the opening hours, please contact the information assistant under info.vienna@mea.gov.in or 01 505 8666 - 44

BUSINESS CENTRE ■■ The EMBASSY’S Business Centre is opened DAILY from 10am to 1pm.

■■ For scheduling an appointment outside the opening hours, please contact the commercial wing under the contact given below.

■■ Marketing Assistant: comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in or 01 505 8666 - 31

STUDENTS WELFARE OFFICER ■■ Mr. Aniket Govind Mandavgane, First Secretary in this Embassy has been designated as Officer to look after welfare of Indian Students in Austria and Montenegro.

■■ His contact details are: 0043 1 505 866 and comm.vienna@mea.gov.in

MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS GOES MOBILE ■■ Avail services : passport, visa, consular assistance ■■ Ask your Minister : on the go, anytime, anywhere ■■ Follow your PM : on his visits abroad ■■ Find the nearest Indian Mission/Post : for emergency consular assistance ■■ Be informed : about India’s Foreign Relations on the move and form your own opinions ■■ Know more : about how to undertake Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and Haj Pilgrimage ■■ Download and watch : pictures & documentaries on India ■■ Play and Personalize : what you need, when you need ■■ Share and contribute : your views, pics & suggestions Ministry of External Affairs proudly presents “MEAIndia” – an integrated smart app for mobile and other hand held devices ‘MEAIndia’ is now available for download on App Store and Google Play Store.

FACEBOOK & TWITTER ■■ Our Facebook and Twitter pages target the India-Austria community and covers subjects such as Business, Culture, Embassy News, India-related events and programmes in Austria, and much more.

■■ We have reached the 17600 followers mark on Facebook!

■■ 'Like' our facebook page and be the first to know!

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INDIA NEWSLETTER

Disclaimer: Information collected in our Newsletter is through secondary research and Embassy of India, Vienna is not responsible for any errors in the same.

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